Catch the latest episode of the SLD podcast, in which Julia Thornton and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya talk about their experiences taking the ATA certification exam and the role certification has played in their careers.

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SLD member Julia Thornton originally wrote this post for the Smartcat forum fresh on the heels of getting ATA certified in the summer of 2017. She kindly agreed to update the post, and it is published here with her permission. The original can be found here.

ATA is a professional association with over 10,000 members in more than 100 countries. It promotes translation and interpreting professions.

One of the benefits of being an ATA member is taking the certification exam. The certification exam is widely recognized in the USA and is a widely-used credential. The exam is offered several times each year in different locations throughout the USA, as well as in Mexico, Canada, South America, and in Europe. Certified ATA members are listed as such on the ATA website.

Here are some questions you might have about the exam — and some answers!

Should I take the ATA exam?

I think being a certified translator sets you apart from other translators. It testifies to your ability to do the job professionally. While being certified does not guarantee that you will get more jobs or better jobs, it can make a difference.

Can anyone take the exam?

Yes, anyone can take the exam. The only stipulation is that the person needs to be a member of ATA (associate membership is $195 per year) at least two weeks before the exam.

How much does it cost?

In 2018 ATA certification exam costs $300. In 2019 the fee for the exam will go up to $525. You have to be a member to take the exam (associate membership is $195). You really want to make sure you prepare well!

What is the exam like?

The exam is 3 hours long. You are given three passages, and you need to choose two of them to translate. In other words, you get 1.5 hours per passage of 250-275 words. The passages are general in nature, but they can be on the subjects of finance, healthcare, politics, science, etc. The passages are designed to be hard to translate: they include idioms, proper names, punctuation and sentence structure that is not easily translated into another language. The translator needs to prove that he/she can produce a translation that sounds natural and is accurate.

Can I use my computer for the exam?

Yes, you can use your laptop or you can choose to write it out by hand. Most people opt for a computerized exam.

What reference materials are allowed at the exam?

All paper dictionaries and reference books are allowed. ATA has a list of approved online dictionaries for some languages. The key principle is that an online source cannot be interactive (a forum), where you can ask your question and have someone respond. Merriam-Webster online, for example, is allowed. ProZ forum is not.

How is the exam graded?

Each exam will be graded by two graders. Each text can have up to 17 mistake points and still pass (which is quite generous, in my opinion). The mistakes can be in grammar, terminology, syntax, understanding of the original text, etc. Each mistake is also graded on a severity scale from 1-16, depending on how it affects the translation: for example, a forgotten comma might be a “1” while missing a key word that affects the whole sentence would be more points. If the two graders disagree on passing/failing the translation, they will bring in a third grader. An encouraging thought is that graders are professional translators who are not looking for a perfect translation, because they realize there can be several ways to translate the same passage. They are looking for a solid precise translation.

What can I do to prepare for the exam?

ATA offers a practice test ($80 for members, $120 for non-members). It is a passage that was an exam text the previous year. You will get it back with your mistakes marked and commented on by a grader. I highly recommend taking a practice test: you can try to simulate the exam setting and see how you do. Some ATA language divisions have practice groups that are very helpful. If your language division has a practice group, join it! But most importantly, you can practice on your own. I practiced once a week for four months before the exam: I would take a text of 250-300 words, open online dictionaries and grammar references, and start the timer.

Where do I find texts to practice?

Any national publications, such as Newsweek, The Atlantic, etc. will prepare you well. Remember to translate articles on varied subject matter.

What can I do to improve my chances of passing the exam?

Learn to type fast in both languages: in your target language, it will help you type out the translation faster; in your source language, it will help you type in the words into the search window of online dictionaries. All this will give you more time you for thinking, looking up words in the online dictionaries and proofreading your translation.

Brush up on your spelling. The exam is taken in WordPad with the spellcheck disabled. When you practice, do it in WordPad: it will help you to get used to looking for typos.

Read grammar and punctuation rules. Starting today, if you are not sure what punctuation mark is needed, look it up! Most of us need many times of looking up the same rule before we remember it. And there are many, many rules. Start today and look up at least one rule every day. You might need to look up a grammar or a punctuation rule at the exam, but you won’t have time to cross-check everything. You need to know them by the time you go to take the exam!

No addition, no omission. Do not add words if they are not needed. Added words might count as a mistake. Also, it is very easy to skip a word and even a sentence. Be extra careful!

Check your translation twice: once, go over both the source and the target text to make sure you translated the words correctly. The second time, just read your translation to see if it flows, to catch typos and punctuation marks.

Check your translations starting from the end vs the beginning. Our brain naturally gets tired toward the end of the text, and we become less attentive.

Practice with a timer – learn to find it on your computer and to turn it on every time. While there was a clock in our room, I was glad I knew exactly how many minutes were left per passage (I set the timer for each passage, i.e. for 1.5 hours).

Do not leave early – if you have a lot of time left, go out of the room for 5 minutes (you will need to leave everything behind) and then come back refreshed. Look over your translations again.

What are my chances of passing the exam?

Each language pair is different, but an average passing rate is 18%. Do not be discouraged if you do not pass the first time, a lot of people do not. If you decide to take the exam, give yourself enough time to prepare for it well.

How long is the certification good for?

As long as you maintain your membership at ATA and accumulate 20 credits in continuing education every 3 years, you do not have to take the exam again.

Is it worth it?

I think it is. Certified translators are listed on the ATA website. Some agencies only hire certified translators. It looks good on your resume, and it’s a proof of your professionalism.

Any final thoughts?

Preparing for the exam is a wonderful way to improve one’s quality of translation. It teaches you to be precise in word choice, to be mindful of grammar, and to learn punctuation rules that you never learned before (trust me, every language has those!). Overall, you will become more critical of your own work and therefore will be a better translator.

Julia Thornton is an ATA-certified EN-RU translator. She grew up in Russia and graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. She then moved to the US and earned a Master’s degree in theological studies. Watching her two oldest children prepare for the SAT, Julia learned some test-taking skills that helped her pass the certification exam in 2017 after 4.5 months of preparation. She can be reached at julia.thornton@alterustranslations.com.

Check out the third episode of the SLD podcast, where the administrators and founders of SLD’s ATA exam practice group, Maria Guzenko and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya, discuss how the group helps participants prepare for the ATA Certification Exam, their experience managing the group, and volunteering opportunities.

The Slavic Languages Division exam practice group is entering its second year. The background and activities of the group were covered in detail in our SlavFile article and a subsequent ATA Chronicle column. Now is a good time to report on how the group is doing.

To this end, the administrators of the group (currently Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya and Maria Guzenko) conducted a brief survey among group participants in late summer of 2017. We received responses from 21 group members. Although our sample was too small to be talking about any trends, we thought it may be interesting to share some numbers. The respondents had the option to skip questions, so some of our numbers will not add up to 21.

Participant Statistics

Of all respondents, 15 (71.4%) reported working in the English to Russian pair, 10 (47.6%) in Russian to English, 2 (9.5%) in English to Ukrainian, and 1 (4.8%) in Ukrainian to English, Polish to English, and French to English, each. Respondents had the option of choosing more than one combination.

Most participants (90%) were located in the United States, with one person located in Poland and Ukraine each. English to Russian was the most popular language combination for practice (14 respondents), followed by Russian to English (11), English to Ukrainian (2), Polish to English (1), and English to Polish (1). Unfortunately, none of the respondents reported joining the practice group in the Ukrainian to English, Croatian to English, and English to Croatian directions.

Experience with ATA Exams

Nine respondents (42.9%) had taken a certification exam before joining the practice group. Of those respondents, 4 did so in the English to Russian combination, 3 in Russian to English, 1 in Polish to English, and 1 in English to Ukrainian. Six of the participants who had taken the exam reported failing, while 2 reported passing.

Most of the respondents (66.7%) were planning to take the exam in the next year, with only 19% not planning to, and 14.3% undecided. The combinations in which candidates planned to take the exam were as follows: 12 English to Russian, 6 Russian to English, 1 Ukrainian to English, and 1 English to Ukrainian.

Thirteen (61.9%) of all participants reported taking the official ATA practice test, 8 in the English to Russian direction, 4 in Russian to English, and 1 in Polish to English.

By the time the survey was distributed, 33.3% (7) of the participants had taken the certification exam. The most popular exam directions were English to Russian (3), Russian to English (2), Ukrainian to English (1), and Polish to English (1). 57.1% (4) reported failing, and 28.6 % (2) reported passing, with the remaining respondent waiting for their result. Since then, we have heard from at least three more participants that they had passed.

Continued Engagement

Of all participants, 23.8% reported participating in the group weekly, 28.6% monthly, 19% occasionally, and 28.6% had ceased to participate in the group’s activities. Of those no longer actively participating, 50% said they planned to return to the group in the future, 33.3% answered “maybe,” and 16.7% (1 person) was not planning to resume participating.

Practice Group Rankings

On a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best), the average rankings for the following categories were:

User-friendliness of the Slack website: 4.00

Source texts for practice translations: 4.63

Feedback from peers: 3.94

Feedback from certified translators/graders: 4.12

Admin responsiveness: 5.00

Scheduling of practice rounds: 4.80

Improving my translation skills: 4.53

Enhancing my familiarity with exam standards and procedure: 4.26

Most participants (44%) found the feedback received from their peers “very useful,” 33% “somewhat useful,” 11.1% “not very useful,” and 11.1% “have not received feedback.”

We also received some useful verbal feedback from the respondents, which was covered in the Chronicle column. In a nutshell, most participants appreciated the group, although some wished the online platform were easier to navigate, participation were steadier, and peer feedback were more consistent.

Maria Guzenko is an English>Russian translator working in the healthcare and corporate domains. She holds an MA in Translation from Kent State University and has worked as a translation project manager and a Russian instructor. She is a co-administrator of the certification exam online practice group for ATA’s Slavic Languages Division.